6 Measures To Protect Your Network From Hackers

More than seven out of 10 dining businesses in the USA are single-unit operations. Like all small retail businesses, restaurant payment systems can be targets of information security intrusions.

Criminals see small businesses, together with restaurants, as simple opportunities for crime. There are lots of areas, and, in the combination, millions of payment-card transactions. Information security is one of many risk areas owner-operators must manage, and shortcomings persist in many restaurant network security practices.

It is critical to remember that businesses are responsible for protecting their customer’s credit card information from cyber criminals just as they’re responsible for maintaining robbers out of their establishments. Within the area of information security risk mitigation, restaurateurs have guidelines to help them in the form of payment-card industry data-security standards.

Keeping your network safe

Despite vulnerabilities, new digital options can improve operations, improve the client experience and boost the bottom line. It’s not needed or cost-effective to put non-payment solutions on a separate physical network to isolate them from cardholder information.

Maintain a strong firewall. A firewall is a network security system, both software- or hardware-based on a set of rules. Acting as a barrier between untrusted networks and other trusted network — such as the Internet — or less-trusted networks — similar to a retail merchant’s network outside of a cardholder data setting — a firewall controls access to the resources of a network via a positive control model. Which means that the only traffic allowed onto the network describe in the firewall policy is; all other traffic is denied. The PCI information security standards direct firewalls for agreement.

Conduct regular scans of your network. The best way to determine if your systems have been compromised is to scan them regularly for vulnerabilities. For relatively low annual charges, a safety vendor will remotely scan all your outside systems access points to decide if any vulnerable to intrusion. Use a reputable, professional company to manage these electronic scans regularly.

Limit remote access. Many restaurants move their firewalls open to outside entry by managers operating remotely or vendors who routinely perform support on systems Create a strong password instead of using the default codes, and change them often. Similarly, always change default firewall settings to allow only essential entry, and limit remote access to secure strategies such as VPN.

Ensure all credit card data is encrypted. When you have older POS tools that send raw credit card information to a back-office server, it may be time to improve. Modern, secure POS systems encrypt credit card information as soon as a card is swiped, they usually immediately send that information to the payment processor without temporarily storing information.

Segment your network. For example, be sure your POS information traffic is distributed from your security cameras, digital menu boards, Wi-Fi system. If you want to allow, managers to connect with the POS via Wi-Fi, connect them via a practical LAN that separates authorized traffic into a security zone.

Keep your software updated. Producers frequent update operating systems and POS software to tighten security and remove weaknesses vulnerable to hackers. Be sure you download the latest operating system patches and keep all POS software up-to-date. Addressing these issues is a sensible step to help you protect your customers’ information, your respect and the sincerity of your payment card processing environment.

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